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I blame women and homeless people for the lack of bathrooms. Most eateries do not want to allow people to use their restrooms because too many homeless people would abuse it. And women are just the worst when it comes to keeping public bathrooms clean and not throw objects into toilets.
You ask anybody that cleans bathrooms and they will tell you women are the worst. They throw everything that you can think of into the toilet bowl.
i personally have a problem with using public bathrooms so i usually just wait until i get home.
but in cases of emergencies.. i've never purchased anything to use the bathroom at Starbucks because there's always a line so you don't even have to ask the staff just wait on the line - but those bum ridden bathrooms are vomitrocious so i try not to use them.
i also know where to go if i really have to go. using a public bathroom is never really pleasant (how can they really be kept clean with THOUSANDS of ppl using them daily??) but i do know where to go to have the best experience in a bad situation lol
Toilet-seekers,
How do you get bathroom access when you're out and about?
Blend in and pretend to be a customer?
Purchase something you don’t want for legitimacy?
Ask nicely- take a rogue ****- or you hold it till you get home?
I’m doing a story on the business of bathroom business. If you- or someone you know- is frustrated by New York’s lack of toilet options, please let me know! I’d love to hear your gripes.
This is awesome!! It's so funny because my friend and I ALWAYS have conversations about this. For a city that's so busy, big, vast, sprawling, the lack of bathrooms are terrible. Unfortunately, I've been guilty of wizzing out in the streets late at night after a long night out of drinking. As of yet, I haven't been caught since I find the most discreet places and squeeze myself into tight corners if I must. I HATE to do this because its rather trashy but sometimes late at night in NYC, it's incredibly hard to find a place to do your business unless you're purchasing something from a deli, store, restaurant etc.
Lately however I've been finding some spots where I can gain quite easy bathroom access. The NYPL on Bryant Park during operating hours has a few good and rather sanitary bathrooms, a lot of the McDonalds have stepped up their game and have a lot cleaner bathrooms than ever before. Some Starbucks, the Whole Foods on Houston, some public parks apart of the parks department (though I'm not crazy about using the bathrooms there), Burlington Coat Factory on 23rd and 6th and 14th Union Square has good bathrooms.
If it's very late at night and I can't find a public bathroom, I'll go into a diner, a bar or some establishment and offer them a dollar or two if they can let me use their bathroom. Doesn't hurt too ask and as long as you don't look like a volatile bum, crackhead or a complete mess of a drunk. If you look normal, presentable they'll be more than willing to let you use it, some places even free of charge.
I don't understand why NYC hasn't caught up with cities like San Francisco that has innovative public bathrooms.
I blame women and homeless people for the lack of bathrooms. Most eateries do not want to allow people to use their restrooms because too many homeless people would abuse it. And women are just the worst when it comes to keeping public bathrooms clean and not throw objects into toilets.
You ask anybody that cleans bathrooms and they will tell you women are the worst. They throw everything that you can think of into the toilet bowl.
Very true. It's women, bums/crack heads and stupid teenagers who want to use public bathrooms for sex.
What do the vendors do? They must have amazing "holding it in" powers. That or they wear diapers. Ewwww
I too, have always wondered this. I just don't want to walk up to the guy making my gyro and ask him what he does when he has to go to the bathroom because I may or may not want to eat that gyro I just bought.
That's a great list...but still doesn't address the point: Why are there virtually no public bathrooms in the "greatest city in the world." It's an embarassment and ridiculous in 2014 you have to sneak into private businesses and establishments in order to urinate...private businesses should not be shouldering the burden for the lack of public bathrooms in NYC. Restrooms are for customers, as they should be...NYC in so many ways is really so far behind major cities across the world and country for that matter....this is one of those examples.
Yes. Especially the ones with bars and or restaurants. They'll usually have a bathroom in the lobby area and who are they to say that you don't actually have a room there?
You don't have to have a hotel room. Who is to say that you aren't visiting/meeting someone who is staying at said hotel?
You don't have to have a hotel room. Who is to say that you aren't visiting/meeting someone who is staying at said hotel?
That's what I'm saying. Especially in a place like NYC where even at the Mandarin Oriental you could be a tourist wearing jeans and a t shirt to go out and about. If the hotel staff stopped every single person that came in the door that hotel would go out of business.
Nah, never happened. Some of the starbucks lock their bathrooms and you either have to ask for a key or they print a code for the door on your purchase receipt. But it's all futile because really I dare you to find a starbucks that DOESN't have a line for it's bathroom. One person holds the door for the next, etc.
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